Memorial Valley Massacre

A deadly feral creature is on the loose in the wilds of SoCal

When a new campground opens in the hills north of Los Angeles on Memorial Day weekend, the campers & staff are assailed by someone or something in the woods.

"Memorial Valley Massacre" (1988) is a low-budget slasher sometimes called “Son of Sleepaway Camp,” even though it has zero to do with that slasher franchise. It’s basically a meshing of “Don’t Go in the Woods,” “Friday the 13th: Part 3” and “Berserker” but, thankfully, is far more effective than the weak “Don’t Go in the Woods.” It’s arguably a notch above “Berserker” as well.

Erin O'Leary (Wendy) and Lesa Lee (Cheryl) are highlights on the feminine front, as is brunette Karen Russell (Emily), aka Dusty Woods. Meanwhile ultra-masculine William Smith has a peripheral role at the age of 54 during shooting. Cameron Mitchell is featured only in the opening while the male protagonist is a no-name, but effective in his one-and-only role.

The score is sometimes ill-fitting and the hammy humor with the trio of teen campers is unconvincing and unnecessary (not to mention, not funny), but the flick otherwise delivers the goods for the genre as an obscure second-tier entry.

The movie runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot at Gold Creek Center (Ranch) in Lake View Terrace, which is located a dozen miles north of Hollywood in the mountains.

GRADE: B-/C+